Slam Bolt Scrappers Will Not Have Online Mode

As some of you might know by now, Slam Bolt Scrappers was released last week. It’s a whacky game that combines Tetris and tower defense and a lot more, crammed in a hectic and colorful action atmosphere. But more importantly, it’s a party game that you can enjoy with friends. The only real problem is that there’s no online component for this social interaction, which caused IGN for instance to slam the game.
 

 

Equally puzzled, I contacted the developers to ask how they came to this decision, to which Alec Shobin from Fire Hose Games replied: “We talked about networked multiplayer and did focus testing. The consensus was that couch play beats out networked multiplayer every time.” Giving me more context for this decision, Alec continued: “We grew up on games like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Goldeneye and even Halo (1). With more games coming out that lack couch-play, we wanted to take a stand and remind people what socializing in games is all about: being with friends, competing with the person right next to you, and making fun of their face. “

When asked if they’d see an online integration in the future of Slam Bolt Scrappers, Alec said they had “no plans to update” and stated: “When I think about my time with Halo 1 vs Halo 3, [the latter] with its online focus, didn't even compare.” He then continued to offer a perspective that being in the same room and working together to achieve goals is much more memorable than later instances of games which require a lot more effort to obtain the same effect.
 

"Friendship-ending Multiplayer Battles". Now that's epic.
 

And I say more power to them for going against the grain. If anything, Fire Hose Games is a dedicated developer who creates games because of their love of games and views the world’s expectations of them as a secondary goal. More companies should just follow their hearts like that and focus on what they truly believe is best, as gamers. Take back the living room!

Slam Bolt Scrappers is now exclusively available through the PS3 Playstation Network at $14.99. For more information, please check our full review.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)